A conventional method of inducing an e-commerce transaction includes offering a product through electronic advertising via a computer network.
A well-known method of conducting e-commerce includes electronic advertising by displaying a graphic on a webpage of a website that is hyperlinked to another webpage in another website (meaning that the another webpage is not in the collection of web pages constituting the website of the web page on which the graphic is displayed). When a user clicks on the graphic, the browser associated with the user's computer is directed to the another web page. Once the browser is directed, and the browser displays the another web page, the user is able to conclude the e-commerce transaction (i.e. purchase the advertised product).
A method according to the present invention enables an e-commerce transaction without redirecting the browser to another webpage, where the remainder of the e-commerce transaction may be conducted. That is, in a method according to the present invention the user's browser is not directed to another web page (i.e. a web page associated with another web site) and remains directed to the web page while an e-commerce transaction is conducted.
In a method according to the present invention, once the user selects an information object displayed on a web page, to which the browser is directed, the e-commerce transaction is conducted without redirecting the browser.
An information object may be a moving or a static electronic image and/or a textual object (e.g. a brand, a phrase containing a brand, etc.).
A system according to the present invention, is an E-Commerce technology platform (and application) that enables seamless E-Commerce transactions from any electronic publishing page (e.g. a branded Blog, a social media web page, a website, Email, etc.).
A system according to the present invention provides access to a Client Application Programming Interface (“API”), which can be installed within any electronic publishing page. Once a user accesses the electronic publishing page using a computer and its contents are displayed to the user by a monitor associated with the user's computer, the API will enable the user's (client's) computer to interface with a system according to the present invention so that the two systems can communicate with one another. Once the API is captured from a system according to the present invention and installed, E-commerce transactions may be conducted without redirecting the web browser to another web page of another web site, thereby adding E-commerce functionality directly to the electronic publishing page itself.
Thus, for example, as a user reads the content of an electronic publishing page (i.e. Blog article) the user can click an information object, which will lead to the display of an information window. The information window may include a plurality of product information sections each section providing information regarding a product and at least one action button associated with the product in the information section. The action button can be configured to lead the user through the steps that will conclude an E-commerce transaction.
The steps leading to the E-commerce transaction may include a registration step either directly or through a third party web site where the user is already registered (e.g. Facebook Connect, etc.).
Once a user is registered, the user may interact with the system to conduct an E-commerce transaction from any electronic publishing page that includes an information object.
A system according to the present invention can be implemented with any electronic publishing platform including electronic social networking services, blogs, web sites, Email etc.
Each information section may also display an action button, which when clicked by the user, enables the sharing of the information in the associated information section with members of the user's network in a number of convenient ways (via email, social networks, etc.). The members of the user's network will then also be able to conduct an E-commerce transaction in the same manner as the user.
Sellers of products can use a system according to the present invention to configure/customize information windows displayed to the users and direct the system to add E-commerce capability to designated electronic publishing pages.
Furthermore, a system according to the present invention can provide the following reports to a registered seller:
1. Daily, weekly, annual Sales of products
2. Sales by location
3. How many people shared information regarding the seller's content and where the information was shared
4. Referrers: A referrer is an electronic publishing page (e.g. a web page) at which at least the E-commerce transaction, which is concluded by or at least through a system according to the present invention, was initiated without the browser being directed to another electronic publishing page.5. Demo and lifestyle information: This information is demographic and lifestyle information from consumers (users) captured and stored in a database by a system according to the present invention. Examples include spending tiers, content type, category type and any demographic/lifestyle information (age, sex, product interests, etc.,) and other information that can be appended through other databases.
A user/potential buyer experiences the following when interacting with a system according to the present invention:
1) On a particular web page, the user clicks on the information object and the system auto-detects if the user is a registered user.
2) If so, an information display window will be displayed to the user that displays one product information section or a plurality of information sections each displaying information regarding a respective product. Each information section provides the user with an option to add the product to a virtual shopping bag and/or to share the information regarding the product in that information section with the user's network via, for example, an electronic social networking service.3) Once the user's selection is placed in the virtual shopping bag, optionally, other items are displayed to induce another sale (upselling).4) Once the user confirms the intent to conclude the purchase, an additional discount to the purchase price or a free sample may be offered to the user if the user agrees to share information relating to the product through an electronic social networking service.5) Thereafter, payment information is collected from the user and processed by the system to conclude the E-Commerce transaction. A receipt may be then emailed.6) For a new user, personal information, credit card and shipping information are obtained after the user has directed the placement of a selected product in the virtual shopping bag.7) A user may check out as a guess without registration with the system. Only credit card and shipping information are obtained in this case.8) A discount may be applied to new users upon confirmation of the purchase.
A seller of a product may experience the following when using a system according to the present invention:
1) A new seller may first register with a system according to the present invention through a website associated with the system. To register the seller provides to the system preferably via the website its name, gateway information and account information.2) The company's profile will be customized with its brand identity meaning that the creative, copy and other branding elements will be incorporated into the design of the page templates and rendered displayable within the information displays sequentially displayed to the user during the E-commerce transaction.3) The seller will then be able to populate the system with seller's product information. The seller can choose various templates for presenting the product information in an information display window and may designate which template is used for which electronic publishing page.4) The system then associates each template customized with the seller's products with the designated electronic publishing pages designated by the seller.
A system according to the second embodiment of the present invention integrates an intermediary platform with a seller platform or a plurality of seller platforms to at least: 1) conduct credit card payment on the seller platform hence following the seller's policies, and 2) submit the order into the seller's existing E-Commerce Orchestration hence leveraging the seller's order placement system which creates a sales transaction as well as a new/existing customer record into the seller's customer relation management system.
In a system or a method according to the present invention, a custom script (computer executable code) is provided so that an E-commerce transaction to acquire (e.g. buy) a product from a seller can be performed from a publisher's web page (e.g. a blog or the like) who is not associated with the seller of the product without redirecting the user to another web page from the publisher's page in order to acquire the product from the seller of the product.
The script so provided thus permits an integration of E-commerce capability to an online publisher's page that is not associated with the seller of a product, meaning that the online publisher is not the seller's on-line product sale system.
In a system or a method according to the present invention the script, for example, can be activated:
a) through inline text (for example, by clicking on a specific text box/object an overlay (window) opens to permit the user to see product information and add the product to an online cart to purchase the product through an E-commerce transaction);
b) through inline image (for example, by clicking on an image an overlay (window) opens and the user can see product information and add the product to an online cart to purchase the product through an E-commerce transaction); or
c) within an ad Engine.
That is, the script when activated opens a window in the publisher's page or over the publisher's page to initiate an E-commerce transaction, which can be followed by other windows to carry the transaction to conclusion without redirecting the user to another page to conduct the transaction.
Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of the invention, which refers to the accompanying drawings.